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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. cell — in biology
  3. game — wild animals
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. game — a match
  6. craft — boats
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. charge — electricity
  10. last — finally
  11. charge — a price
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. last — final
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. craft — a skill
  21. last — to go on
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. charge — in control
  24. cell — in a prison

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com